a. Field of the Invention
The instant invention is directed toward a retractable cover for an architectural opening. More specifically, it relates to a cellular panel used to cover an architectural opening and a method of making the same.
b. Background Art
It is well known that cellular panels provide excellent coverings for architectural openings. For example, U.S. Pat No. 4,603,072 to Colson, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a type of retractable honeycomb cellular panel. A typical honeycomb panel is constructed of a plurality of hollow slats or tubes, stacked and then adhered to one another to form a three-dimensional cellular structure when expanded. In its unexpanded state, the slats or tubes flatten to form a rectangular stack. The height of the stack is dependent upon the length of the panel and the material from which it is made. A retractable multi-cellular honeycomb insulating panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,750 to Colson et al.
A related type of honeycomb insulating panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,012 to Anderson. In the ""012 patent, a cell of the panel is formed by folding a strip of material along longitudinally extending fold lines that bring the longitudinally extending edges of the material near each other. Then, a second length of material is secured to the longitudinally extending edges to form a cell. A plurality of these cells are then affixed together to form a panel. Another related type of honeycomb insulating panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,795,515 and 4,871,006 to Kao et al. The ""515 patent is directed toward a process and machine for forming the honeycomb panel disclosed therein. According to the ""515 patent, a plurality of attaching strips join pleat lines formed in each of the two sheets that comprise the front and rear surfaces of the completed panel. The ""006 patent is directed toward a dual fluted shade. Again, in the ""006 patent, a plurality of attaching strips join two sheets of fabric along corresponding pleat lines formed in each of the two sheets. Other panels, like those disclosed in the ""515 and ""006 patents, wherein strips connect adjacent sheets of fabric, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,228,936 (and B 1 5,228,936) to Goodhue and U.S. Pat No. 4,673,600 to Anderson. The ""600 patent also discloses a panel wherein the two sheets of material forming the front and back faces are joined directly together. The application that issued as the ""600 patent was a division of application Ser. No. 796,035, which eventually issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,255 to Anderson. U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,986 to Anderson also issued from an application that was a division of the ""035 application. Whereas the ""600 patent claims the honeycomb panel, the ""986 patent claims a method of fabricating the panel.
Still another related type of honeycomb panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,217 to Anderson. In the panel disclosed in the ""217 patent, strips of material are folded into Z-configurations, which are then stacked in layers that are adhered together. U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,855 to Anderson issued from an application that was a division of the application that issued as the ""217 patent. Whereas the ""217 patent claims the honeycomb panel, the ""885 patent claims a method of fabricating the panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,554 and its corresponding reissue Pat. No. Re. 30,254 to Rasmussen disclose yet another related type of honeycomb panel. The panels disclosed in the ""254 and ""554 patents are formed by stacking precursor tubular members one on top of another, wherein the top surface of a particular precursor tubular member is bonded to the bottom surface of the next adjacent precursor tubular member, and the bottom surface of the particular precursor tubular member is bonded to the top surface of an adjacent precursor tubular member. The stacked and bonded precursor tubular members forming a resulting thermal insulating curtain.
Various machines are also known that are capable of manufacturing cellular panels at high speed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,027 to Colson, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an apparatus for manufacturing cellular panels. Related U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,108 to Colson, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, issued from a continuation-in-part of the application that eventually issued as the ""027 patent.
The cellular panels manufactured heretofore by interconnecting a plurality of individual precursor tubular cells have generally comprised precursor cells constructed from a single strip of folded material. The resulting elongated precursor tubular cells of a single material are then directly joined together to form a cellular panel. The machine disclosed in the ""027 patent may be used to manufacture such panels. Since the precursor tubular cells have been manufactured from single strips of material, however, it has not been possible to obtain the advantages that may be available when the honeycomb panel is constructed of more than one type of material. One such advantage is the ability to construct a cellular panel that is to be used as a window covering wherein one type of material faces inward for viewing by people inside of the room and a second, different material, faces outward. The inward facing side of the panel could be made from an aesthetically pleasing material, whereas the outward facing side could be made from a heat reflective or heat absorptive material. One side of the panel could also be made from a light-blocking material. Similarly, if an installed panel will have a hidden side, each precursor cell may be constructed to have an aesthetically pleasing material on the visible side of the resulting panel and a less expensive, less attractive material on the hidden side of the panel.
It is desirable to be able to form each precursor tubular cell in a honeycomb panel constructed by interconnecting a plurality of individual precursor tubular cells from a plurality of material types rather than from a single type of material.
Accordingly, it is an object of the disclosed invention to provide an improved retractable cover for an architectural opening. The instant invention is an expandable and contractible honeycomb panel comprising a plurality of parallel rows of interconnected elongated precursor tubular cells, each of the precursor tubular cells being constructed of foldable and creasable material, and each precursor tubular cell comprising at least a first strip of material and a second strip of material. The second strip of material is arranged substantially parallel to the first strip of material, and the two strips are substantially equal in length. The first strip and the second strip are directly joined to each other. The combination of the first strip and the second strip comprises a dual-laminate component that is shaped to form a precursor tubular cell used to construct the honeycomb panel.
Thus, in a first aspect of the present invention, an expandable and contractible honeycomb panel having a front side and a back side comprises a plurality of elongated precursor tubular cells. Each precursor tubular cell is constructed of foldable and creasable material. Each precursor tubular cell comprises a first strip of a first material, and the first strip has a first longitudinal axis and a first length parallel to the first longitudinal axis. Each precursor tubular cell also comprises a second strip of a second material, and the second strip has a second longitudinal axis and a second length parallel to the second longitudinal axis. The second length is substantially equal to the first length, and the second longitudinal axis is arranged substantially parallel to the first longitudinal axis. The second strip is directly joined to the first strip, forming a dual-laminate component, which is then shaped into the precursor tubular cell such that the first material is on the front side of the honeycomb panel, and the second material is on the back side of the honeycomb panel.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing an expandable and contractible honeycomb panel having a front side and a back side and comprising a plurality of elongated precursor tubular cells is described. Each precursor tubular cell is constructed of foldable and creasable material. The method comprises the steps of placing a first strip of a first material substantially parallel to a second strip of a second material in an overlapping configuration; directly joining the first strip and the second strip, forming a dual-laminate component; and folding the dual-laminate component into a precursor tubular cell. These steps are repeated to create a plurality of precursor tubular cells. Then, the method entails connecting the plurality of precursor tubular cells to form the honeycomb panel such that the first material is on the front side of the honeycomb panel, and the second material is on the back side of the honeycomb panel.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing an expandable and contractible honeycomb panel having a front side and a back side, and comprising a plurality of elongated precursor tubular cells is described. Each precursor tubular cell is constructed of foldable and creasable material. The honeycomb panel is formed by laying out a first sheet of a first material; laying out a second sheet of a second material, such that the first and second sheets are substantially parallel and overlapping; directly joining the first sheet to the second sheet along a plurality of parallel connecting lines; cutting the joined first and second sheets adjacent one of the plurality of parallel connecting lines, forming a dual-laminate component having a first strip of the first sheet directly joined along a selected connecting line to a second strip of the second sheet. The dual-laminate component is then folded into a precursor tubular cell. These steps are repeated to create a plurality of precursor tubular cells. Then, the method entails connecting the plurality of precursor tubular cells to form the honeycomb panel such that the first material is on the front side of the honeycomb panel, and the second material is on the back side of the honeycomb panel.
A more detailed explanation of the invention is provided in the following description and claims, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.